Promoting access and opportunity for all sections of the population to take part in sport is the central philosophy and objective of Sport England.

Anecdotal evidence backed up by small-scale studies, often of a qualitative nature, suggest that ethnic minorities generally have relatively low levels of participation in sport. To date, however, these assertions have not been backed up by any largescale empirical studies. They have also tended to be generalised to apply to ‘ethnic groups’ as a whole implying a homogeneity that fails to recognise the levels of diversity of culture, background and experience that exist between different ethnic groups.

Editor's comments - [ This [1999/2000] survey of sports participation and ethnicity was commissioned in order to:

Provide robust statistical data on the levels and patterns of sporting participation among ethnic minority groups in England to be compared with participation behaviour among the general population.